Paper Soul

A tale of two Daddies is a conversation between two classmates. 
An inquisitive boy asking a girl about her parents which happen to 
be two men. There is no judgment but curiosity that is stemming from
 the little boy's curiosity. The little girl patiently answers 
questions regarding different situations and which father takes the 
lead. The questions range from fashion to athletics to culinary 
topics, which all are done in a speech children can understand. 
This is a great book to introduce to children so they can understand
 there are different types of parents and families. Even though 
the parents do not look the same, each parent loves their child. 
The illustrations are vibrant and will capture the children's 
interest. All the activities are what a child would encounter 
in a normal day. Displaying that families can be arranged in 
different ways but do similar activities. 

This is a great book to introduce the topic of same sex relationships
and illistate that they are not any different then their own family.
Answering general questions that a child may have when they approach
this family dynamic.  

Its bad enough to be orphaned after a tragic fire but to then be forced to live with a skimming distant.... and I mean distant relative makes it that much worse. For the Baudelaire children, this is the predicament they find themselves in. Will they be able to outsmart and survive their stay with Count Olaf?

Pro: 

• I am in love with the Protagonist in this novel. Violet is a smart and creative young girl. She has the mind of an engineering mastermind. She can create anything and is not afraid to get dirty. Throughout the novel, she is in a constant state of imagining and wonder of how things work. Her younger brother, Klaus, is a researcher by heart and loves to read the most. He jumps at chances to learn and tries to solve problems through literature and knowledge. Both these characters are strong allies for children to connect with. 

• Throughout the book, difficult words are used to describe certain situations or emotions the children face. Although this is not unique to use a vocabulary slightly higher than the reader's comprehension at the time the act of defining the words in a vocabulary the reader would understand it is. I appreciated the clarification given along with it embedded in the story. So as not to appear as a vocabulary word. This will help children build a vocabulary and how the word is used correctly. 

• The book's narration is vivid and clear in the description. The surroundings and characters are depicted in a language children will understand and appreciate. 

Con:

• I was not anticipating the book being so dark. At times I asked myself " what was I reading?"There are instances of child abuse, child bride, death and hints at other mature topics. I think this book would have to be either read with a parent or read by the parent beforehand. 

Did you know that Dragons have a favorite food? Well,l they do and its TACOS!!!! Rubin creates a creative way to illustrate food preferences and restrictions to children. Dragons love tacos and throughout the book, the different kind of ways tacos can be made are illustrated. But they cannot have salsa or any spicy food because it upsets their stomachs. Which happens by accident and illustrates why certain foods should be avoided to keep a healthy and happy dragon or stomach.

This book can help children identify their own eating preferences and what they don't like. The dragon can be their metaphoric animal in how to explain how their stomachs feel when they eat certain items. This can help them to identify what they like and don't. Be able to voice how they feel after they eat it. 

The illustrations are creative and colorful. The dragons are all unique with different colors, shapes, and sizes. The boy and dog duo are also drawn and written so the reader can connect with them. 

The dog..... it's adorable

The taco eating dragons are my spirit animal

Worry says what? is a great book to help children identify and give shape to the worry they can be encountering. Edwards creates a fuzzy worrier monster that will not scare children but help them to visualize the worry they go through as well as help them materialize and create a figure which they can focus the worry to and deal with it constructively.

Edwards shows environments and situations in which a child will encounter and gives them feedback on how to combat the whispers of worry. This book can help for a parent and child to talk about stress in a visual way that a child can understand. The only situation I would have liked to see is that worry happens to everyone. Maybe have the character realize that worry is a universal encounter and everyone goes through these doubts throughout their lives.

Just take it... Take my heart and break... then put it back to only break it again. WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME HAN!!!! 

This Dragon is my spirit animal

The Similars is a novel that questions the ethics of clones and the rights they have once created. The protagonist, Emma, is returning to school after a summer of loss. Her best friend, Oliver, took his life and she is shattered. Once at school she is forced to acclimate to school, friends and the new students which are clones.

The storyline is quite interesting although predictable in the outcome. Emma suffers from depression and anxiety due to the loss of her mother, guilty from that experience and her best friend's death. Yet, the story doesn't really go into her mental health and only does a superficial job. I wish Hanover would have expanded on how Emma felt and experienced situations and people more. Giving a more dimensional feel of Emma and making her unique. She attends a school for gifted students and has a high standard for academic achievement. She is in the highest percentage of her class and therefore is in a society that can make you or break you. But for all the book smart she may possess, she lacks the common sense and gets herself into situations I feel she should know better than to get into.

Hanover introduces conflict and suspense but does not fully let them develop. This lack of development also extends to the characters, which are not fully matured due to the number of experiences they are rushed through. I feel that Hanover introduces situations to fill voids but does not truly connect them to the storyline or plot. In a few instances I was left wondering why things were added and why was it not more fleshed out. 

Dear Jenny Han,

WTF! Here I am reading PS I Still Love You in my room and on my phone feeling like I’m riding an emotional roller coaster. Gen put on your big girl pants and handle your shit, Peter cut your ties and stop being a dick, Lara Jean no you can not have your cake and eat it too!! TEENAGERS!!

A

PS. Kitty have some loyalty that extends beyond your TV shows. Sisters before misters!!

Hmmmm an almost sex tape video and a love triangle... this is getting more interesting

Hey everyone, 

SO in a week, my first semester in my MLIS program will start. For my Children's Literature and Resources class, our professor has already emailed some projects we will have to do. One is reading massive amounts of children's books ranging from 0-12 year range. I do read and review children's books but not as much as YA and I tend to forget where the line is between them. So I'm asking for suggested readings that you love or feel kids should read. They can be anything from poetry, chapter books or full novels. 

Thanks for the recommendations in advance!!

I love Attack on Titan, it is one of the few darker manga that I read. I love how the characters are represented and the woman are not illustrated in disproportions. Also, the women are strong and complex as are the men. They are a dynamic team. the suspense and little hints you get in why there are titans keeps you going. but UHHHHHH Im so far behind........

I'm having conflicting character representation for Peter K.... Book Peter is kind of an ass....

What if you had a secret and it defined your whole being? What if someone was blackmailing you with that secret to get closer to a friend? What if you were in love with someone you have never met? What would you do to keep that relationship? 

So I have to admit I watched the movie first before reading the book. I know I know its a grave sin!! I should always read the book first. That's what I have always done because another wise I feel like I'm cheating. But I'm actually glad I did it reversed. This will be a two-part review, first the book then the movie in comparison. 

Simon, Simon, Simon....... I want to love him but I kinda don't. He's a little self-absorbed and superficial with his friends. The entire time he is all consumed with how things affect him and trying to hide that he is gay. Throughout the book, his emails and relationship with Blue mirror Simon's real-life relationships. In the fact that Simon really does not dig deeply into any relationships, his long relationships with his best friends are only surface deep and when someone wants to dig deeper (such as parents and sisters) he pushes them away. Blue's animosity reflects how Simon hides everything about himself and when the person he wants to get the closest too treats him how he treats people, he is forced to reflect on himself. Yet, his personality and attitude are how the adolescent stage is.  

Albertalli does a great job in constructing a society where secrets are kept. Simon's sisters, friends, classmates are all keeping secrets that don't necessarily have to be a secret. Just like Simon, they do not want the image of themselves to be altered because that means things will change. Albertalli captured the hardships of trying to project what society expects from us vs what we truly are. I loved that Albertalli did not censor Simon's language or actions to fit into a pleasant box. Simon cusses, drinks, do what his parents would probably not like him to do BUT he's a teenager! Leah.... I don't like her, I just don't. She's a little too angry for my tastes. I don't think Albertalli developed nor gave enough backstory to her. Nor to many characters outside Simon and Blue. 

I did appreciate the authenticity of the bullying in the school. Portraying coming out in a positive and negative light. It was the little jabs here and there that made the deepest wounds for Simon but at the same time, he saw people stand up for him even people he least expected. 

Quotes:

Nothing is worse than the secret humiliation of being insulted by proxy

I couldn't help my self!! I watched the Netflix movie....... But if your 15-year-old niece says it's a great book and you should read it, then you read it!!!

I just finished Save the Date and cannot decide which book to read next. So I created a poll to ask you guys which book I should read next. Please select one of the choices below. Thanks, everyone!!!

Which book should I read next